The Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) was a bizarre race, with horses stopping and starting at every turn. Zanbagh was third for most of the beginning before falling back to eighth while Like A Carousel got stuck at the end of the pack before coming home for a third place finish.

Caravan Rolls On will hopefully get a Melbourne Cup start following his Geelong Cup win. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.

One horse that didn’t struggle was Caravan Rolls On. The $8.50 bet at Ladbrokes.com.au won the race by ¾ of a length after making his way to the front round the home turn. He took the lead at the fence, beating Marksmanship ($9.50) and Like A Carousel ($10) home.

The win will hopefully help the seven-year-old horse, who is already a two mile winner, move closer towards a Group 1 Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) start.

He’s sitting in 45th place with a weight of 51kg but trainer Danny O’Brien is hopeful he’ll receive a weight penalty similar to Big Memory, who earned 2kg after winning the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) on October 11.

“He’s a genuine two-miler, we had to keep him very fresh today for the 2400m. He was third-up, three and a half weeks between runs, so we had to keep a spring in his legs to be able to win at the mile and a half. But with the two miles he’ll improve three or four lengths on what he showed today,” O’Brien said directly after the race.

“I’d hope he gets a penalty for the Cup. The other horses on lighter weights are getting the big penalties. [Big Memory] got 2kg the other day, and it was a similar race today.

“If he gets a penalty of that sort of nature, he’ll be into the Cup and a top-six chance for sure.

“It was only his third start in a year so there is still a lot of improvement to come, and hopefully he gets in the Melbourne Cup.”

Craig Newitt rode Caravan Rolls On home in the 2014 Geelong Cup, and had nothing but praise for the horse after the race.

“The way he came into the yard today, the way that he stood in the gates, he was a racehorse today and he really outstayed them late today,” the jockey said.

“He’s a horse that really likes firm ground, and I was really mindful of that today.”

Can Caravan Rolls On make the 2014 Melbourne Cup field? He’s currently a $26 bet with Ladbrokes.com.au, so open your online betting account and back him today!

2014 Geelong Cup Results & Finishing Order